This is directed to methods and the use of systems to share information. In particular, the present invention is directed to providing users with easy access to information, and for enabling users with the capability to share information and services.
In this information age, a great number of individuals use multiple devices such as computers, personal digital assistants (PDAs), smart phones, etc. to prepare, review, revise, access and share information. For example, an individual may have multiple work computers, such as a desktop and a laptop, multiple home computers, a smart phone such as Apple's iPhone, and/or other devices. In addition, that same individual may socialize or work with various people. In some instances, people simply want to be able to share the digital photos, music, etc. with friends and family. In other instances, people want to share files with others who have to review and/or revise documents and files created by or edited by that individual.
There are many ways in which individuals try to deal with the issue of a single document or file existing on one or more computer-type devices. For example, the simplest solution may be to copy the file onto a portable storage device such as a flash drive, and only work on the version of the file on the flash drive. In this manner, the individual can use the file on virtually any computer at work, home, etc. This “solution” is not, however, without problems.
One potential problem may be related to performance, because flash drives are limited to the speed of the flash drive interface, which may be, for example, a USB interface. In addition, it may be difficult to back up the file without losing track of which version was backed up, and where the backup is located. In addition, it is usually impractical to attempt to circulate a document or file for review and comment in a business setting using a flash drive as this is much slower than modern computer networks. Such review would then be limited to occurring one person at a time, which would likely not fit within the time constraints of many projects.
Another common attempt to deal with this issue is to place the file on a server that can be accessed from multiple locations. This “solution” can be flexible, easy to set up and can operate without latency, as well as be integrated with the platform. On the other hand, however, such a “solution” can be difficult to use, where other users may have difficulty in locating the right file, as well as the issues of dealing with the potential of multiple identities, even for a single person. For example, an individual may have one identification based on the person's first name and a second identification based on a nickname. The normal system would treat those two as two separate users even though they are, in fact, the same individual. In addition, connectivity can be tricky, particularly when the individual may be using remote access (such as when the server may be located at work and the user is at home). One or more users may have difficulty accessing the file.
Instead of using a file server as a central location to store the file, different users simply e-mail the file back and forth. E-mail distribution is, in general, free (provided the users already have e-mail access). In addition, e-mail may be the easiest system to use because users simply have to have the knowledge necessary to attach a file to an e-mail. E-mail access is essentially universal, and the e-mails containing the file(s) can be forwarded. E-mail distribution of files, however, suffers from generally poor security. In addition, e-mail users are susceptible to SPAM and phishing (where someone tries to convince a user that their e-mail is from a legitimate source when it is not).
Distribution of files via e-mail also is likely to pose various additional problems. For example, in many instances the size of attachments is often limited by the internet service provider to a specific size, such as 10 MB. In addition, there can be problems in the file becoming “stale” related to the latencies between when a file is sent and when it is received, or looked at. These problems become even more acute when the overall size increases, such as in a situation where there are many users, lots of files, or very big files.
A more recent “solution” for these issues is the use of a website on the internet as a storage location. This type of solution addresses the problems of scalability related to the e-mail solution. In addition, there are usually no size or file-type limitations, and web sites for storing files typically provide better than average security to the users. The files can easily be forwarded to other users (or at least notice that a file is available), while providing a broad range of accessibility to those files.
A user utilizing the web for file distribution, however, is likely to be fraught with their own sets of problems and/or difficulties. The web is essentially a stand-alone system which is not integrated well with various platforms. In addition, the multiple identity problem seen when using the sever solution is also likely to occur with the web solution. The web solution can also be prohibitively expensive while providing inconsistent features and experience for the users. Finally, and potentially most significant, are the privacy and confidentiality concerns related to storing files on the web.
None of these “solutions” adequately addresses the problems related to sharing large volumes of multiple files. For example, a user who subscribes to Apple's “MobileMe” service is allocated a certain amount of storage space on a server on the internet. The user then has the ability to upload the files that user wants to share with others. Even though the uploading and management of that service space is relatively easy using Apple's Macintosh computers, the amount of space is limited and therefore requires an additional level of management. Moreover, there is no easy way for authorized individuals to know when changes to the files stored on the server have occurred.
One of the central problems that may be related to any of these “solutions” is security. Once files are being shared, regardless of the method of sharing, security becomes a greater issue. The issue is not simply locking down the files so that they are only accessed by select individuals. The issue is broader in that the security should not become an impediment to accomplishing the task that the shared files are merely a piece of. In this manner, the security system needs to be easy to use, if not transparent, for authorized users. The security system should be flexible and be able to work with existing systems and be able to use (but not limited to) common conventions, such as name and password or personal identity certificates (as outlined in the X509 specification), and the use of access control lists (ACLs).
An additional issue that occurs when dealing with the multi-user environment is related to higher level data and information than is typically shared and/or revised by the users. For example, none of the solutions discussed above can be used to view and manipulate information such as metadata and/or application settings that might be needed to accompany the files being shared. Thus, context is lost and in many instances, the context can be critical. Without the proper settings, different users may view a file in a completely different light.
The present invention solves these problems and others, and is related to commonly-assigned co-pending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/242,899, filed concurrently herewith, and commonly-assigned co-pending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/242,903, filed concurrently herewith, each of which is hereby incorporated by reference herein in its entirety.